NORTH FORSYTH — A Duluth man has been charged in the Friday morning wreck that totaled a Forsyth County contracted ambulance as it was responding to an emergency.

Oscar Lozano-Figueroa, 40, was charged with driving without a license and failure to yield right of way to an emergency vehicle, both misdemeanors, according to Epifanio Rodriguez, a spokesman for the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office.

According to Forsyth County Fire Division Chief Jason Shivers, the crash occurred about 8 a.m. as the Med 13 unit was responding to a wreck on Ga. 400 at Settingdown Road.

According to Shivers, the ambulance was traveling east on Spot Road, with its lights and siren on, and had moved into the left lane to pass a group of stopped vehicles. 

As the ambulance was passing them, one of the cars turned left in front of it.

The impact sent both vehicles down an embankment at the corner of Spot Road and McCoy Circle. 

Shivers said the two people in the ambulance escaped injury, although both were taken to an urgent care center for evaluation. Lozano-Figueroa was also not injured.

As of Friday afternoon, he remained in the Forsyth County Jail on a $1,380.50 bond.

Shivers said the ambulance, which is owned by Advanced Ambulance Service, is likely to be a total loss, but that he had been in contact with the company’s owner about a replacement.

"They do have a spare unit, and he will have it in service by later [today]," Shivers said.

Med 13 is on Doctor Bramblett Road just north of Canton Highway (Hwy. 20).

As it turned out, there were no injuries in the wreck to which the ambulance was responding, Shivers said, so patient care was not affected.

Staff writer Kayla Robins contributed to this report.